LightMinded Arts Podcast

When filmmaker and storyteller Jared Moses sits down with Brent Lindstrom, the conversation turns raw. Jared opens up about growing up boxed in by labels—race, mental health, expectation—and how he turned that confinement into a creative movement. Together they explore what it means to build community instead of chasing an audience, to turn rejection into purpose, and to make space for stories tha...

Artist Julian Raven opens up about the moment every creative fears: the day you realize the art world isn’t coming to rescue you. From selling two massive paintings for $25,000 to months of silence, rejection, and financial pressure, Julian shares the raw truth of trying to survive as an artist without losing your soul. We talk identity, failure, stubbornness, and the terrifying decision to bet on...

Bestselling author and artist Ruth Douthitt shares the moment she realized talent alone wouldn’t sustain a creative career. From early rejections to burnout, rebuilding her audience, and learning the business side of art, Ruth opens up about what it really takes to survive as a working creative. A grounded, honest conversation for anyone trying to turn their passion into something lasting. Visit R...

What happens when the path you thought was holy turns out to be too small for the person you’re becoming? In this conversation, musician and author Allen C. Paul opens up about the moment God pulled him out of full‑time ministry and into a creative life he never expected. We talk about calling, career, guilt, the fear of disappointing people, and the strange freedom that shows up when you stop try...

When Bart Merrell’s lifelong dream of joining the FBI collapsed overnight, he faced the kind of identity death every creative fears. But instead of breaking, he rebuilt — turning loss into freedom and failure into fuel. In this episode, Brent Lindstrom dives into Bart’s wild journey from pig farms and bungee towers to amputations and side hustles, uncovering how the worst moment of his life became...

When writer and filmmaker Kern Carter stopped believing the starving‑artist myth, everything changed. In this conversation, he opens up about becoming a father at eighteen, dropping out of high school, and rebuilding his life through words. From ghostwriting to book deals and film distribution, Kern shares how financial stability became the key to creative freedom—and why commitment, not suffering...

Most creatives grow up hearing the same promise: “Follow your passion and the money will come.” Daniel Rodgers believed it too — until poverty, debt, and real‑world pressure forced him to abandon art and chase a degree that simply paid the bills. In this conversation, Daniel opens up about the moment his creative dreams collided with financial reality, how growing up in deep poverty shaped every d...

Author and retired space‑operations officer Joseph Bolton shares how loss, ancestry, and rediscovery turned his life into art. From grief to legacy, he reveals the moment creatives realize their story didn’t start with them — and how that truth can transform your work forever. 🎙 Hosted by Brent Lindstrom — LightMinded Arts: helping creators build a creative life that pays. Learn more about Joseph...

Actor and podcaster Justin Younts joins Brent for a grounded, vulnerable conversation about what really happens when the creative dream stops feeling magical and starts feeling heavy. Justin opens up about the years he spent trying to “earn” his suffering, the auditions no one watched, the teachers who left him more confused than confident, and the slow unraveling that happens when you start belie...

Jeff Kikel spent decades chasing stability, until a brutal performance review forced him to face the truth: a job would never make him free. In this conversation, we talk about the seven failed businesses, the near‑collapse that followed, and the strange $500 rule that changed everything. It’s a story about losing safety, finding purpose, and learning how to make money the way artists make art — b...

Author and engineering instructor Ryan Consell sits down with me to talk about the messy, nonlinear path of a creative life. We get into the year that nearly broke him, why “follow your dreams” can quietly ruin artists, and how stability can actually bring creativity back from the dead. This is a conversation about identity, burnout, rebuilding, and the strange ways our lives shape the stories we...

Bestselling author James Rollins opens up about the part of the creative journey most artists never talk about—the fear, the financial uncertainty, and the quiet safety nets that keep us going. From his years as a veterinarian to the moment he finally stepped away from a stable career, Rollins shares the real story behind building a creative life that lasts. If you’ve ever wondered how to chase yo...

What happens when your instincts tell you to leap… and everyone else thinks you’ve lost your mind? In this episode, Sabine Hutchison — CEO, author of Beyond the Ladder, and founder of The Ripple Network — shares the wild, winding path that took her from hazardous‑waste labs to touring with David Copperfield to building a global company in Germany. We talk about the moments that define a creative c...

What happens when the dream you grew up chasing starts to feel more like a cage than a calling? In this episode, Brent Lindstrom sits down with Bria Rose — a former Disney cast member turned dark‑romance author — to talk about what it really takes to move from survival mode to creative freedom. Bria shares how years of living inside the “good girl” identity nearly smothered her creativity, and how...

Teri M. Brown didn’t wait for permission — she built a thriving author career from the ground up. In this episode, we talk about the moment she realized her first book wouldn’t sell itself, and how that wake-up call led to a powerful marketing system that now drives her success. From newsletters and reader engagement to in-person events and Facebook ads that actually work, this conversation is pac...

Choreographer and creative coach Alexandra Beller talks with Brent about authenticity, breaking creative habits, navigating vulnerability, and building a sustainable artistic life. She shares why personal work resonates most deeply—and how artists can trust their voice, shape their process, and stay resilient in a competitive field. Visit her at: https://www.alexandrabeller.com/

In this episode, Brent sits down with entrepreneur and Momentum author Sheila Slick to explore what it really takes for creatives to thrive in business. Sheila shares lessons from her fourth‑generation entrepreneurial upbringing, her journey through tech and AI, and the daily practices that help artists stay focused, consistent, and profitable. They dig into market validation, time‑blocking, self‑...

What do publishers really look for? Why do some books take off while others disappear? Former Simon & Schuster editor and publishing strategist Ally Machate pulls back the curtain on platform, marketability, tropes, formulas, and the 50‑review rule. She and Brent dive into the mindset shift every author needs: stop writing for everyone and start thinking like a business. Packed with practical...

What happens when a kid with a first‑grade reading level grows up to out‑argue law professors, train parents to teach dyslexic kids faster than public schools, and uncover the creative superpower hidden inside dyslexia? In this eye‑opening conversation, Brent sits down with Russell Van Brocklen, a dyslexic professor whose journey defies every expectation. Russell shares how he went from being soci...

This episode is a little different. For one, its just me. Two, I'm pulling back the curtains for a minute and showing you some of what I've been working on, and giving you a preview of what's to come. By the way, my latest book: Hard Boiled Cabbage, Book 1 in the GearLock Series is releasing March 2nd. Pick up your copy on release day, and don't forget to leave a review. You can find it here: http...

Brent interviews crime‑fiction author and law‑enforcement veteran R.L. Carpenter about turning real investigative experience into gripping small‑town mysteries, finding inspiration after personal loss, and building a writing career while working full‑time.

In this episode of Light‑Minded Arts, Brent sits down with actor, author, and all‑around working creative Max Shippee—a man whose journey has taken him from rural Maine to Hollywood by way of Oklahoma, Texas, D.C., Vegas, and even Bali. Max opens up about crafting his debut novel Path of the Raven, the honesty of rewriting, and how his wife’s Shakespeare‑honed editorial instincts sharpened every s...

Designer‑turned‑digital‑strategist Wes Towers joins Brent to unpack what it really takes to get noticed in today’s AI‑driven world. Wes shares how his creative roots shaped his 20‑year journey building Uplift 360, why “search everywhere optimization” matters for artists and small businesses, and how to use AI as an amplifier—not a replacement. He also opens up about the hard lessons, near‑disaster...

In this episode of Light-Minded Arts, I sit down with someone who has lived every version of the creative journey — the exhilarating, the exhausting, and the downright absurd. Richard Moon is an award‑winning screenwriter, indie film producer, novelist, physics tutor, SF nerd, history obsessive, musician, hiker, and kitten foster… and somehow that’s still not the full list. Richard has been in the...

In this interview, I talk with Paul Pape about his creative journey and how he carved out a niche that never existed until he discovered it for himself. Learn more about Paul at: https://paulpapedesigns.com/ And learn how he can help you as an artist by going to: https://www.gamifybusiness.com/ Don't forget to find more great learning help from my website either, at https://lightmindedarts.com/